When Xabi Alonso was announced as Real Madrid's new head coach, replacing the departing Carlo Ancelotti, the excitement from fans was through the roof, but so were the high expectations on his shoulders. Given that Xabi Alonso is still relatively young, many were still questioning whether he was up to the task at a club the size of Real Madrid.
And in the early days to start the season, Xabi Alonso showed exactly why he was brought in by Los Blancos. After a disappointing final season under Carlo Ancelotti, Xabi Alonso got his men off to a blazing hot start, winning 14 of their first 15 games, with their first loss coming in a humbling 5-2 loss to rivals Atletico Madrid. Many thought that loss was just an anomaly as they went on to win their next six games, quickly stamping their name as one of the most dangerous teams in Europe.
However, since the hot start, Real have seemingly hit a wall at full speed. They've won just five of their last eleven games, dropping points in draws against Rayo Vallecano, Elche, and Girona, and losing at home to Celta Vigo, all games Xabi Alonso and his men should easily be taking all three points.
Los Blancos have won their last three against Alaves, Talavera, and Sevilla, with Xabi Alonso slowly getting his men back to the winning ways we saw in the early months of the season. However, despite these three straight wins, they haven't been convincing wins by any means and we can still see Xabi Alonso's biggest flaw that is what could be costing the team results and needs to be fixed fast.
Xabi Alonso's biggest flaw is still painfully obvious
One of Carlo Ancelotti's biggest flaws was his stubbornness and refusal to make in-game tactical changes and substitutions, and that would cost Ancelotti results, and Xabi Alonso is doing the same to the same result.
Let's take Real's recent 2-0 victory over Sevilla, for example. Up 1-0, the team was clearly struggling and needed some sort of spark to get back on the front foot, with many players struggling to make any impact on the game. Substitutions were desperately needed, but Xabi Alonso waited until the 72nd minute to make his first change, bringing on Camavinga for Arda Guler.
The Turkish international struggled to make an impact on the game and should've been taken off at least 10 minutes earlier, but Xabi Alonso waited, and by the time Camavinga came on, he didn't have much time to make the impact he could have made if he had been brought on earlier.
In that same match, Vinicius Jr was a non-factor, and the attack could have benefited from fresh legs, but Xabi Alonso waited until the 83rd minute to take the Brazilian off for Gonzalo Garcia, not nearly enough time to bring a spark to the attack.
In-game tactical changes and substitutions are what win you games and make great coaches. While Xabi Alonso is still young and will no doubt grow as a manager as he gains more experience, it would be of great benefit for both him and the club to adapt more in games if he hopes to have a successful season in his first year at Real Madrid.